I moved towards the table that had the map of the Empire rolled out on it.
'Identify the locations of the Financial Advisors.' I commanded mentally and then three red dots appeared on the map, all of them in the capital.
"Brother, I heard you called." Isadora opened the door, but stopped in her tracks when she saw the kneeling figures of the Shadow Legion.
"What is going on?" She asked in confusion.
"Open a portal in each of these locations." I showed her three different locations using [Dragon's Eye View].
Sensing the seriousness and urgency in my tone, Isadora opened the three portals even though I didn't answer her question.
"Detain the Financial Advisors and every individual you find on their properties. And bring me every piece of incriminating evidence you can find." The Shadow Legion immediately acted, splitting up and disappearing into the portals.
"What's going on, brother?" Isadora asked again.
"They have been stealing funds from the Empire." I took a seat in my chair and poured a glass of blood from the wine bottle.
"That's terrible." She said, but I could tell that she didn't understand the importance of it.
"You don't seem surprised, Mila?" I asked when I didn't see her reacting after I revealed what I had found.
"I had my suspicions, Your Highness." She said.
"How long?" I took a sip from the glass, the blood cooling my innards.
"Centuries." Her answer was simple, but it showed how deep and how longstanding this corruption has been going on in the Empire.
"Do Father know about this?" I was seriously going to be questioning his ability to run this empire if he was oblivious to something like this.
"Yes, my Prince." She said.
"Then why hasn't he done anything about it?" I asked, Father's inaction confusing me.
"That, I do not know." Mila answered, and I could tell that it was something that she has been wondering about too.
"What is going to happen to them?" Isadora voiced her thoughts.
"I'm going to make an example out of them." I told her.
"What do you mean?" Isadora was still lost.
"I am certain they are not the only ones that is stealing the Empire's funds, so if I show the other perpetrators what we do with the ones we catch, then they will surely come out of their hiding holes and chalk up every coin they stole.
Once they do, we will have more than enough money to build the city we talked about."
"And if they don't?" Isadora asked.
"The Empire doesn't need thieves among its ranks." My eyes glowed crimson, the message in them clear: I will kill them.
Isadora didn't ask more questions, it seems she finally understood.
"I have a suggestion, Your Highness." Mila stepped forward.
"Go ahead." I said, taking another sip.
"Public Execution." She said, causing me to raise an eyebrow. "If you execute them in public, we can reinforce the believe of the populace in the Imperial Family."
"That's a good idea." I sat up straight. "This could also be the first act of the Saintess and the Champion.
If we execute the ones responsible for their suffering 'in the name of the Goddesses', the church will gain followers and public sentiment."
"But it won't be enough." I bit the inside of my cheek. "We need to add the head a noble family to the chopping block. This will strike fear into the hearts of nobility, and make them crawl out of their hiding holes."
Mila nodded, agreeing with my plan.
"What do you think, Isa?" I asked, since she hasn't spoken a word.
"You guys talk about killing other vampires like it's a normal thing." Her lips curved into a small smile. "I like it."
"Heh." I mirrored her smile. "I knew you were unhinged."
Mila just stared at the two of us, clearly thinking that we were crazy.
–THUD
The sound of a body dropping on the marble floors echoed, interrupting our moment.
A fat old man in silk sleepwear with his mouth closed and hands tied behind his back was laying there, a Shadow Legion member kneeling besides him, offering his catch to me.
"It's the middle of the day and you're still sleeping, huh?" I walked over to the man and crouched in front of him.
His eyes that were previously wide with terror changed to those of recognition when he saw me.
He was also at the ball earlier, and unsurprisingly, he was one of those that didn't get a blessing from any of the goddesses
He tried to speak, but there was a cloth in his mouth.
"Pathetic." I sneered, my voice filled with disdain.
–THUD
–THUD
Another two bodies dropped on the floor, the kneeling figures of the Shadow Legion next to them.
I scanned to two vampires and one of them caught my eye.
"Well, aren't you an interesting one." I said, as I made my way over to the woman. "You see what I'm seeing, sister?"
"What are you talking about?" Isadora asked in confusion, not knowing what I was referring to.
"Nevermind." I said, my gaze fixed on the woman's abdomen, at her mana core.
The woman's mana core was surrounded in pitch black aura. But this aura wasn't like any other beings, it was spreading all over her internal organs, slowing eroding it.
'Worshipper of a Corrupt God.' I instantly recognized it. It was something I read extensively about in Arx Immortalis.
Eroding internals was a negative effect of using the energy of corrupted gods. And this woman's innards was almost completely done for, a sign that she has been a follower for a long time.
Usually it would be impossible for someone to recognize the followers of corrupt gods with just their eyes, but it is only possible for me because of my trait:
********
[>1/4 of the Children of Mana–You are one quarter of the Children of Mana. These 4 individuals have a very close relationship with every and all types of mana.
You get wider and more mana pathways + you can see the color of the mana emitted from a individuals core.]
********
'Isadora said that she can't see it. That must mean that the trait has different affects for everyone.' I reasoned.
I looked into the woman's terrified eyes and gave her a knowing smile.
Her eyes widened in realization. She knew that I knew.
"Take them to the dungeon." I got up from my crouching position. "Torture out all the information about fund embezzlement from the two males.
Leave the woman, she won't tell you anything."
And that was true. Once someone becomes a follower of the Corrupt God, a mysterious energy enters their brain and if that someone was about to spill information they weren't supposed to, their brains explodes.
The two males kick and tried to scream when they heard my orders, but the Shadow Legion effortlessly dragged them away along with all the other vampires they captured.
"Who is this?" I asked, looking at the last figure that was bought through the portal.
It was a old vampire with graying hair and crimson eyes that was staring at me with fury in his gaze.
His noble clothing had tears in it with blood dripping from wounds on his body.
"Count Gregory Grant." Mila said. "It seems he was captured while holding discussions with one of the Financial Advisors.
He put up a fight, but in the end he was no match for the Shadow Legion."
"A noble, huh?" A smile found its way in my face. "This has been a fruitful hunt."
"Take him away." I went over to the map.
'Identify Count Gregory Grants residence.' I mentally activated the [Identification] skill, and another red dot appeared in the capital.
"Isa, would you please do the honors." I showed her the location with [Dragon's Eye View], and she opened another portal without second thought.
"Capture the Count's family." Another unit of Shadow Legions rushed through the portal
"Are you going to kill the family too?" Isadora questioned.
"Yes." I leaned back into the soft crimson leather chair at the table, picking up a file the Shadow Legion retrieved from one of the Financial Advisors homes.
"Why?" She asked.
"Nobles put a lot of importance on family and legacy, and when they see that the price to pay for undermining the Imperial Family is the annihilation of their entire bloodline, then they won't dare to act out again." I gave my answer with removing ny gaze from the papers.
'Identify everyone who had the Financial Advisors in their pockets, how much they owe the crown and where their funds come from.' I thought, and a surge of information entered my mind.
"Mila, time to write some letters."